Covenant House

Mission:
Covenant House provides a community of hope and healing to homeless young people in need of a safe haven. For kids who have run away from or been forced out of their family home or aged out of foster care, Covenant House provides a temporary home and a continuum of services designed to help them escape the streets forever and transition to a life with stable housing, a solid educational foundation, and sustained employment. . Founded in 1972, Covenant House has reached more than one million young people with immediate assistance and the support necessary to transition from a life on the streets to a life with a future. Programs:
Covenant House Crisis Centers provide safe housing, food, clothing, case management, counseling, medical care, and other support services. Covenant House Crisis Care programs operate 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

Community Reviews

In 2008, I mustered up the courage to leave home and went to the Covenant house. At the time, I was both fearful of the idea of staying at home and going to a homeless shelter. Here was my dilemma, if I stay at home, I faced more verbal and physical abuse everyday, if I went to the homeless shelter, I was going to get beat up, robbed, and basically anything else they portrayed in movies about homeless shelters because that was the only reference I had at the time. Looking back now, it sounds even funny to me, but at the time, it was my reality. As I was on the train headed for the Covenant House, I thought of every possible outcome, one of which was being rejected and sent home. I broke a sweat and thought to myself? How could I go home after leaving? Am I doomed to wander the streets? My duffel bag is pretty heavy. To my surprise, when I got there, I was accepted right away and then the rest is history.

Last spring, I graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a bachelors in Theatre and Marketing. Currently, I am working on my masters so that I can open up my own homeless shelter for teens to give back the help I once received. I believe that those who receive help and don't give it back it never deserved it in the first place. Covenant House gave me reason, provided me with safety, and ultimately saved my future.